Walsh - Its all too much workbook: the tools you need to conquer clutter and create the life you want

Also by Peter Walsh

Its All Too Much

An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less

Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?

An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More

Enough Already!

Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You

How To Organize (Just About) Everything

More Than 500 Step-by-Step Instructions

for Everything from Organizing Your Closets

to Planning a Wedding to Creating

a Flawless Filing System

The Tools You Need
To Conquer Clutter
and Create the Life
You Want

Workbook

PETER WALSH

Free Press

A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2009 by Peter Walsh

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Free Press trade paperback edition April 2009

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Designed by Katy Riegel

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Walsh, Peter

Its all too much workbook : the tools you need to conquer clutter and create the life you want / by Peter Walsh. 1st American paperback ed.

p. cm.

Companion to the authors Its all too much : an easy plan for living a richer life with less stuff.

1. Storage in the home. 2. Orderliness. 3. House cleaning. I. Walsh, Peter, 1956Its all too much. II. Title.

TX309.W342 2009

648.8dc22 2009009744

ISBN-13: 978-1-4391-4956-0

ISBN-10: 1-4391-4956-9

eISBN-13: 978-1-4391-8882-8

To all those who
after looking at their stuff
and screaming Its all too much
have embraced the idea that less is more and,
in decluttering and getting organized,
have created amazing new lives.
Thank you.

Clutter stops us from living in the present.

Clutter makes us forget what is really important.

Clutter robs us of real value.

Clutter steals our space.

Clutter monopolizes our time.

Clutter takes over.

Clutter jeopardizes our relationships.

Other peoples clutter robs us of opportunities that should be ours.

Clutter denies us peace of mind.

Clutter erodes our spiritual selves.

At the end of the day, clutter makes us forget whats really important.

W E TOOK A JOURNEY TOGETHER in Its All Too Much where I introduced you to a systematic program that I developed from my years as a clutter expert, going into hundreds of homes and seeing firsthand the challenges that we all face in living the fast paced, hectic lives that seem to have become the norm for so many. With this workbook I will give you the tools you need to maintain a clutter-free life and to be sure that you will change your relationship with stuff for the long hauldaily, weekly, monthly, and for the rest of your life.

This workbook should be your companion as you work to declutter your personal spaces and your life. It will become the place that you write down your vision for the home you want to live in as a reflection of your values, goals, and dreams. It will help you track your progress and be a place where you can take an inventory of what you are holding on to (perhaps for the wrong reasons); what you are surrounding yourself with on a daily basis; and what you can let go of to make room for the life you want.

Im sure you have made great progress by doing the work I outlined for you in Its All Too Much and you should be proud of what you have accomplished. Please keep in mind that sometimes a first round of decluttering isnt enough. A few months later youll look at the same stuff you thought you couldnt throw out and realize that you havent touched it since your last cleanup. It takes a while to get used to the idea that if you dont use it, if its not part of your life, if it doesnt serve your goals, then it is just a waste of space.

In this workbook we are going to put a laser-like focus on where your problem areas may be lurking. You know what I meanthe stack of shoe boxes in the back of the closet, the storage containers in the basement stuffed with things youve carried with you since college, the expensive sweater youll wear when it fits againsomeday. Were going to pull all of these things out into the light of day and, like the space and energy vampires they are, they will be vanquished. Sometimes we can look without really seeing whats there. My hope for this workbook is that you will use it to create the habits (daily, weekly, monthly) that will help keep you clutter free for life.

Remember, your home is where you live, breathe, rest, love, eat, and create and there should be ample space and room to serve those needs.

In Its All Too Much we looked at how clutter gets in the way of living the lives were meant to live. Because you have this workbook in your hands, I know you are ready to dig deeper (literally) and get rid of the stuff that is getting in your way. Some of the work in Its All Too Much may have gone smoothly for you; other parts were probably a little more challenging. Give yourself a pat on the back for what you have achieved by your work so far. I know you are ready now to take a closer look at what is around you and see the areas that really need your attention.

You are not going to be graded on your answers to the following questions. They are designed to get you thinking about the current state of your home and plant the seeds for how you would like to see it change:

Do you feel comfortable having people visit your home?

________________________________________________________

Do you need to clear off the kitchen counter to prepare a meal?

________________________________________________________

Are the small appliances that you rarely, if ever, use on the counter or in a cupboard?

________________________________________________________

Could you have a party without cleaning up first?

________________________________________________________

Do you have a stash of plastic bags that seems to grow daily?

________________________________________________________

Do your clothes fit in your closet?

________________________________________________________

Do all of your clothes fit you?

________________________________________________________